NAMI National Develops Custody Relinquishment Story Bank

NAMI has developed a story bank of stories from families that have tragically faced custody relinquishment. The sharing of family stories – the pain and struggle that comes with forcing families to choose between their child and accessing critically necessary mental health treatment – is clearly one of the most effective ways to end this unthinkable practice. Please notify families in your state and local communities about the creation of the story bank. Please also share the story bank with other children’s advocacy groups that you are working with in your states and local communities. The story bank provides us with a powerful advocacy tool to use in our efforts to pass federal legislation – The Keeping Families Together Act (S. 1704/H.R. 3243) – to help end the crisis of custody relinquishment. It will allow us to show the magnitude of the problem, state specific information and to put a face on this unthinkable practice.